Come On! Give Him A Break!

If it isn't enough that national talk show hosts and comics are taking daily pot shots at Toronto's major, now small local columnists are also jumping into the fray.

But wait.  This isn't about Rob Ford, Toronto's mayor.

This is about a Florida congressman, who was just caught buying coke in a "Buy & Bust" sting in Washington DC.

However, there are a lot of similarities with Rob Ford.  This fellow is also a very popular figure.  And has now admitted he has a drinking and a drug problem.

But people are standing behind him because they believe in the policies he was implementing.

Sounds familiar.  So although Rob Ford has been disgraced and stripped of powers by city council, his popularity among Torontonians still remains remarkably high.  Likely for the same reasons.

Now as part of the US TV coverage of this "Buy & Bust" story, stations are reviewing past indiscretions of other US politicians.  Whew! Take a number - the segment went on and on.

So this congressman is in good company.

Not the least of whom - luckily for him - is Marion Barry, Washington's former mayor, who was convicted of cocaine possession - and reelected as mayor after serving his federal prison sentence.

He was also responsible - much to the delight of the junior congressman from Florida - for reducing cocaine possession to a misdemeanour.  Which resulted in only a year of probation for the aforementioned junior congressman.

But on a personal note - regardless of whether you agree with Rob Ford's politics (and I think I know the answer to that one for most of you) - when they say he is a distraction to city council, I say, keep distracting!

Anything that keeps other politicians distracted from spending more of my money or making more laws that tell me what I can't do is fine with me.

Befuddle-duddle the lot of them!

The Southernmost Thoughts In The US

Although old Satch wasn't from there, it sounds like he could have been from Key West.

And one just leads to the other.

The unofficial motto of Key West.

Ahem (oops......Amen) to that!

I Told You He Did It!

As I mentioned - quite recently, in fact (See He's Done It! for refresher) Toronto's mayor, Rob Ford, one upped the US President last night.

On Saturday Night Live.

SNL was going to lead with a skit on Obamadon'tcare, but come on, Ford trumped him and stole the opening stage with this newscast; click CBC Toronto for video.

They did a pretty good job, although the "CBC" reporter does sound a lot like he's from Minnesota.

You don't get much more world class than this......eh?

"You Are Mine! All Mine!"

He's just missing a newspaper.

And this little guy didn't seem too fussed about me coming right up to him.

So you could also title this;

"What Chew Lookin' At, Willis?"

This guy also has that edgy, street cred attitude.  Hey, you from Toronto?

He's Done It!

Everyone has said he is a buffoon, not fit to lead a world class city.

But he's done it!

 He has put Toronto on the world stage!

Of course, the usual suspects are all over this like Rob Ford on his wife's....never mind.  The usual suspects being the Toronto Star and the CBC (above pics).

 But CNN is also having a field day with it (above).

Even the stogy BBC can't resist these titillating details.

And, of course, every Late Night talk show host had better be lining up lots of very nice Christmas gifts for him.

In this piece, Jon Stewart was talking about the disaster the roll out of Ombamacare has been. But he said, for every cloud there is a silver lining.

Because although the roll out has been rocky for president Obama, it has not been Mayor-of-Toronto rocky.  Or as he is now known, as he played a clip from a recent newscast "the crack smoking mayor of Toronto."

So there you go.

For everyone who complains that Canadians are perceived as polite, bacon eating beer drinkers, we now got some edgy, street cred!  People will now look at you and say, "Dude, you're from Toronto? Right on!"

Recent example; was on a bus tour of a US city and as we were talking, I told the guide that I was from Toronto. Five minutes later, as we pass a building that was an ex-bordello and drug den, the guide said, this has been patronized by pirates and reprobates. And maybe the mayor of Toronto.

So hold your head high, Torontonians!.  And your crack pipe higher.

Good News For Señor Jubilado

Save The Whales?

Or spend your money on this?


Sorry little whale dudes.......

Guess What's Going Up Here?

Yup.

A 58 storey....uhhhhh....condo.

Now this building does have some historical significance.

It was Frogley's Bakery.  Built in 1885.

A young George Westin actually found employment at CJ Frogley's first bakery on Yonge St.  Just down the road from, this, his third location.

And it will be kicking out the venerable Cookbook Store.  Which has been here for over 30 years.

And here is a sneak peak at what will be replacing it.

Lovely.

 And will just fit nicely in one of the remaining areas of blue sky in the area.

The reason I am mentioning this, is that it will just block nicely my last remaining slice of direct sunlight.

View from our courtyard.

View from my dining room.

Won't have to worry about that annoying sun shining in here for much longer.

Rarer Than Haley's Comet?

Less frequent than a Blue Moon?

What the heck am I talking about?

There.  Does that make it clearer?

No?

Okay, this is the only time in the recorded history of all mankind, that it is the first of November, and......

The Leafs are in first place.......

The Argos are in first place and.......

And the Raptors are tied for first place!

There is a rift in the time-space continuum and I'm buying a Lotto ticket!

She Should Move To Canada

This federal civil servant was on a business trip (what kind of business....?) when she met some guy and went back to her room for some bunga bunga.

Lamp fell, hit her on the head.  So she went after workman's comp.

The insurance company said, Uhhhh no, we don't think so.  The insurance company's administrative tribunal agreed that her injuries were not suffered in the course of her employment, So....no.

She then took them to court. 

But......the lower court agreed with her!  That having sex was certainly in the course of her employment with the government. (Maybe the UC needs to go back to work.  For the Australian government, eh mate?)

The insurance company then appealed to a higher court.  They said - in effect -you betcha that's part of the job.  Boing, boing.   Get the job application out!

The insurance company then appealed to the Aussie's highest court.

And finally, common sense prevailed.  The court said  "the woman’s employer did not induce or encourage her to participate in the sex."  So.....no soup for you.

So this has taken six years to get through the courts.  And to top it all off, the whole time she's been off work on disability.  For depression.

Why is she depressed?  I don't know.  Maybe her husband read about the case in the paper?

But I do know that with our courts, she'd be at right home here in Canada.   No one's guilty of anything here.

This Is Not A Test

This is a real Argo game.

This is not before the game.

This is not after the game.

This was in the middle of the game.

And this was a game to lock up home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

So this was not a test.  And although it wasn't a real emergency (even though it looks like the fire alarm had been pulled) it should be seen as an emergency to the owners of the Argos.

This sad saga will come to a head, luckily, one way or another, in 2017, when their lease runs out at Skydome and they have to move, as the Blue Jays are finally installing real grass.

Where they will move....is a another whole issue.

Stay tuned.

Or not.  No one else seems to care, so why should you......

Whew!

Doing some tiding up on my email account yesterday.

Been getting quite a few emails lately, so worried that I may be running out of storage space.

Good.......

Can still squeeze in 54 million more.

But ease up anyway, please.

Very Clever, Crown & Dragon, Very Clever...

In the Nanny State capital of the world, Ontario, apparently you are not allowed to advertize Happy Hour, as this would encourage.....drinking!

(This from the province that nets a billion dollars a year selling booze through their own booze monopoly.)

So a local watering hole promotes a healthy alternative; 'Appy Hour, with half price appetizers. I support it! And often!

Oh and some dirt cheap beer prices.  (Dirt cheap, of course, from an Ontario perspective.  Still over priced beer from any where else in the world's perspective.)

And I notice this is valid from only from Monday to Sunday.

Hmmmmm........sounds like a lawyer must be involved there somewhere;  "Don't say, 'every day'.  That would encourage.....eating."

And a plug for my local - best wings in town!

Hey! The TTC Chair Reads My Blog

Good for her.

I guess it just took her a little while to read all my blog posts.

Because a while back, I posted  (see Wrong Message, Karen for a refresher) that the TTC Chair, Karen Stintz, by fighting a traffic ticket for riding through a stop sign was sending the wrong message to cyclists.

Cyclists (not all, but a lot) get a bit sanctimonious when preaching to drivers about obeying traffic rules, but cut themselves a lot of slack for the same infractions.

So the UC is pleased to provide a public service as the voice of reason to some of our city's pols.


On a somewhat related topic, when I was spell checking this entry (and when a blog is held to the absolute highest standards of integrity by both its readers, this is a must) I can understand it wouldn't have "Stintz" or "TTC" in its dictionary (the yellowed words).

But you would think a dictionary for a blog would recognize the word.......blog......


*****
Post Script;  in today's (Oct 24^th) Toronto Star, someone else commenting on the same issue.  See Lawbreaking Cyclists Putting Everyone In Danger .  Cool.  Just how many people are reading my blog anyway....?

What Is This - Yonge St?

But not one arrow pointing my way.

But I thought there used to be one.

Maybe someone removed it.

Yeah, here's an earlier picture.

Who could have done that?

[Ed note: A lot of work for one cheesy picture.]

How do you know how much work it was?

Hold Your Horses

Although the US mainstream media are blasting the Tea Partiers for the latest American fiscal crisis, there is lots and lots of blame to go around.

The Tea Partiers do deserve a chunk of the blame, but the US has a much bigger problem beyond them.

They have a massive spending problem  (which is really what the Tea Partiers are railing against).

And to demonstrate that, this graph shows US Federal spending (red line) compared to "Population + Inflation" growth (blue line).  Both start with an Index = 100 in 1980.

Wow!  Anybody think this is sustainable?  You cannot raise taxes enough to continue to fund this.

This link US Fiscal Cliff - Some Perspective is a post from late last year outlining the US problem, but not not much has changed.  In fact, their situation has only gotten worse.

And, of course, like last time, I can't resist a little editorializing.......

Whew.......Retired Guys Have Still Got It!

I was afraid that as I got older my success rate with women would get even worse.

Don't have to worry about it.........

Oops....wrong pic......

 Now we're talking.........

It's Worth the Drive To.....Buffalo

Say no more.........

Let The Bells Ring Out!

Some places just really know how to do up a Grand Opening.

Doubt if I'll be able to get in.

But why do we like to do it.....up?  What's "up" got to do with it?

The stock market can go up - or down.    And the sun comes up.  That's good.

But when your time is up, that's not good.

No wonder it's hard to learn English.

It's easy to mess it up.

Well, about time to wrap this up.  [Ed note: And that's good.]

Three Cheers For Airbrushing!

They need to invent something so you can have an airbrush look just walking around.  A 3D screen or something.

Come on, Apple, get on it!